Deicing efficiency analysis and economic-environment assessment of a novel induction heating asphalt pavement

In order to remove the ice layer frozen on the asphalt pavement through an eco-friendly and efficient way, a novel composite structure of induction heating asphalt pavement (IHAP) was proposed to achieve high-efficacy deicing. In the novel IHAP, the magnetically conductive layer (MCL) was used to replace the lower part of the inductive asphalt mixture layer (IAML) in the conventional IHAP. To verify the feasibility of the novel composite structure, the volumetric performance, as well as the pavement performance of the MCL and IAML, was first tested. Then, the direct shear tests and rutting tests of the novel composite structure were conducted to prove its structural stability. After that, the contributions of the novel composite structure to deicing efficiency were evaluated by conducting the induction heating deicing experiments. Finally, the economic-environment assessment was conducted to evaluate the economic benefits and environmental protection values of the novel IHAP. The results show that the volumetric and mechanical properties of MCL and IAML meet the specification requirements. Also, the novel composite structure had well structural stability and feasibility. The novel IHAP can increase the deicing efficiency by 81.80% compared with the conventional IHAP. Meanwhile, the waste materials recycled in the novel IHAP can bring considerable economic, energy-saving, and emission reduction benefits.